In 1987, then-Sen. Gary Hart
was rumored to be having an extramarital affair. He denied the
allegations and invited reporters to “follow me around. I don’t care…If
anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They’d be very, bored.”

They did and caught him monkeying around with Donna Rice. Hart’s presidential campaign was history.

I would remind them that it kind of smells like Nixon and Watergate. I
don’t care whether you tape me privately or publicly. I can tell you
that whatever I say is always lawful. And the things I’m interested in
doing are always lawful.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another
consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him
that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this
“mother--ker [the President-elect] his senator. F--k him. For nothing?
F--k him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate
4]” in the Senate “before I just give f--king [Senate Candidate 1] a f--king Senate seat and I don’t get anything.” (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois).

I had no contact with the governor or his office and, so we were not – I was not aware of what was happening.

Still, some are asking, what did Obama know and when did he know it? ABC News’ Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper notes:

But on November 23, 2008, his senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on Fox News Chicago and said something quite different.

Axelrod has since released a statement:

I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the
President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the
Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject.

It is said that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. Blagojevich’s predecessor, George Ryan,
is currently in federal prison for selling driver’s licenses and
government contracts to the highest bidders. The notion that one could
sell Obama’s senate seat and get away with it is farcical.